Ripple Effect: 103 Invisible
by StoryGirl83
Summary: In this sequel to "The Halliwell Death Trap" demons have finally attacked. Innocent lives are at stake and when Wyatt and Chris are attacked while out with Prue it's as if the demons can't even see Prue. And she's not the only one the demons can't see.
1. Christmas Shopping

**Invisible**

Charmed Sequel to _The Halliwell Death Trap_  
_Sometimes you just feel . . . invisible._

Chapter One - Christmas Shopping

December 2012

"I bet Mom would like that," Chris Halliwell announced excited as he pointed at something on the store shelves.

Prue Halliwell looked up wearily. Considering the last three suggestions from the eight-year-old, she wasn't anxious to see what caught his attention. And his older brother isn't much better, she thought as she remembered nine-year-old Wyatt's selection.

Thus, it was to her surprise when she looked up and saw half a dozen assorted spices in a set. "What do you think, Aunt Prue?" Chris asked, eagerly.

Prue smiled. "I think it's a good choice, Chris."

Chris grinned and did a little fist pump.

Prue laughed. "Where's your brother, Chris?"

Without hesitation, Chris points across to the other side of the mall hall. Then, he ran over to his brother and grabbed a water gun and pointed it at his brother.

"You don't scare me," Wyatt laughed as he tried to step out of the way of his brother's line of sight. That proved difficult, so he grabbed his own water gun and pointed it at Chris. "I've got you in my sights."

When a hand pushed down both guns, the boys looked up to find Prue standing next to them. "Don't play with guns, boys. We're here to buy gifts for your parents and for Phoebe and Paige, not toys for you."

"Can't we do both?" Chris pleaded, looking at her with his green eyes wide and his lips pouty.

"Please, Aunt Prue," Wyatt added his plea to his brother's.

Prue shook her head, a smile on her lips. "Come on, let's get the seasonings for your mom and get started on something for Paige."

"Paints!" the boys exclaimed in unison.

Prue looked at them surprised. "I don't think I've ever seen her paint though."

"According to Miss Julie," Chris announced, referring to Paige's adopted aunt, "she used to paint all the time."

"Dave says she needs to start, again," Wyatt, added, referring to Julie's husband.

After her adopted parents' deaths Dave and Julie had taken the teenage Paige in and raised her. She'd finally told them about magic a few weeks earlier at Thanksgiving. To say they were stunned was putting it mildly, but over the last couple of weeks they had shown signs of coming around. They'd already known the boys, having kept in contact with them over the years they had thought Paige had been dead along with Piper, Phoebe, and Leo. They said they needed some sort of connection to the niece they had lost. Now, they were easier with the two boys than any other members of the Halliwell family, except, of course, Paige.

Prue smiled. "Paints it is then. And what about for Phoebe? Any suggestions?"

"A quill pen," Chris suggested after some consideration.

Prue looked at him surprised and waited for the explanation. This was going to be interesting. "Why's that?"

"Well, she's a writer, isn't she," he reminded her. "Grandpa was telling Wyatt and me about the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Wy wanted to know if they used quill pens, and I wanted to know what that was. And once they explained, it sounded like something Aunt Phoebe might like."

"Let's see what we can find," Prue suggested. "I don't think we'll find any quill pens, but there is an art supply store that we can check out for some paints. Want to look in there? Maybe we can find ingredients to make our own quill pens there."

Both boys nodded quickly.

They spent the next two hours working their way through the crowded mall looking for gifts. They reached Prue's newly purchased car with arms laden down by gifts. Her old car had long since been sold off as had Piper and Phoebe's. Paige's had been given to her aunt and uncle, and returned to her when she had returned alive.

Prue popped the trunk and loaded them in. She was about to close it when a voice stopped her.

"Aunt Prue."

Prue looked at Chris. "Ready to go?"

"I need to use the bathroom," he informed her.

Prue looked down the long row of cars back toward the mall. "Can it wait until we get back?"

Chris shook his head and gave her a pleading look. "I need to go now, Aunt Prue."

"Why didn't you tell me while we were still in the mall?" she asked frustrated.

"I didn't need to go then," he informed her, as if that explained everything.

Prue sighed and shut the trunk. "All right, boys. Let's head back."

As the three of them headed back toward the mall a man wearing jeans and a t-shirt moved away from the car he was leaning against. Wind blew at his hair and the sun glinted off his sunglasses. He seemed unaware that is was December in San Francisco, so intent was he on following them.

* * *

For those of you who have read my crossover with _Supernatural_, "The Halliwell Death Trap", this story takes place about two or three months later. The other sequel, "Best Served Cold" follows the Winchesters after that story. I hope you enjoy them both.


	2. Alarm Clocks, Boyfriends, and Other Alar

First a thank you to my reviewers:

vrb18 - Wow! You got an account. Congrats! I'm glad you like the way Prue interacted with her nephews.

Chris's Adorer - Hey, Jana! Welcome to this site. I hope my email was helpful. I was going to post this on TCS, but my internet died and I'm not ready to leave, so I'll post it there when I get back.

Queen Of Gabb 488 - You made my day with that review. Definitely made me smile. Thanks so much. Sorry, that I couldn't post it at once, but I'm afraid I had to write it first. Hope you enjoy it.

La . Manzhanitah . Prue . Hermione - I'm glad to hear you liked it enough to go back and read the prequel. Of course there are some things that make more sense if you do, such as Prue and Cole, seeing as Charmed left them dead and both are alive in this story.

* * *

Chapter Two - Alarm Clocks, Boyfriends, and Other Alarming Things

At the moment the sound of the loudest bell in America could not have competed with the tiny buzzing sound of one small alarm clock. Phoebe Halliwell flipped over and covered her ears with her pillow.

It didn't work.

With a sigh., Phoebe climbed out of her bet and walked over to the night stand her dad has strategically placed on the opposite side of the room. Ever since she and her sisters had returned from the "dead", Phoebe had just been so tired. And it just kept getting worse. No matter how early she got to bed, she still woke up tired.

Today of all days she need to be alert, but it didn't seem to matter what she needed. She had finally managed to get a message through to her former boss, Elise Rothman, when Elise had returned to the country a few days before. While Phoebe had been trapped in a communal dream with Piper, Paige, and a witch named Christy, Elise had moved up in the world, doing a lot of traveling for the paper. She'd only just gotten back to receive Phoebe's calls. Elise had asked her to come in and talk. Unfortunately because Phoebe had managed to ignore her alarm for so long, she only had forty-five minutes to get to the Bay Mirror and most of that was driving time.

A search through her closet revealed that she had neglected to do the laundry, but wasn't a total loss she faced a flattering blouse and shirt. The skirt was a bit longer than she wanted, but it went well with the blouse and didn't hinder her movement, so she put it on. She suspected that her dad had something to do with it. Since she couldn't imagine him shopping for women's clothing she wasn't sure what he had to do with it, but she was sure he did.

As soon as she was dressed she grabbed her cell and headed into the kitchen and grabbed an energy bar out of the fridge. There were definite advantages to living with her dad and a well stocked fridge was one of them. Today, though, she didn't have time to take advantage of it. The energy bar would have to do for now.

She was almost out the door when her cell phone rang. She kept walking as she pulled it out of her pocket. "Phoebe."

"Did you make your alarm?" her former ex-husband and current boyfriend, Cole Turner asked.

"On my way out right now," she announced. "I told you I'd make it okay."

"If you're just leaving right now, you're behind schedule," Cole teased.

"I'll make it in time," Phoebe assured him as she began the decent down the apartment stairs.

"Dinner tonight to celebrate?" he asked.

"Celebrate what?" she asked absently. "My replacement's pretty popular, Cole. This may just be a courtesy, telling me in person, rather than over the phone, that there is no opening at the Bay Mirror. "

"Maybe," he conceded, "but that doesn't sound like Elise's style."

"What would you know of Elise's style?" Phoebe asked, amused. "When we were married, you barely took notice of her and certainly not after the divorce."

"I've learned enough," Cole dismissed.

She shook her head with a smile as she fumbled in her pocket for her keys. She groaned.

"Something wrong?"

She sighed. "I forgot my keys."

The sound of poorly suppressed laughter could be heard from Cole's side of the phone.

"It's not funny, Cole," she protested as she headed back up the stairs.

"Yes, it is," he countered.

Phoebe scowled as she reached the top of the stairs. As she walked down the hallway toward Victor's apartment, she was too preoccupied to notice a door open into the hall.

A young woman peeked out from behind the door and watched Phoebe. She dug her hand into her pocket and pulled out a cell phone. She put it to her ear and in a musical voice that belied the evil look growing on her face, she said, "I almost missed her leaving. Do I follow?"

* * *

At the end of _The Halliwell Death Trap_ I left Phoebe and Cole's relationship in question, but I decided for this story to make a decision there. Other things I left open will be decided in this story.


End file.
